A NEW IDEA IN PRINT CATALOG MARKETING ATTRACTS CONSUMERS TO SELLER'S WEBSITE

The Marketing Dept. has developed a new concept in catalog marketing where consumers make their purchase direct from the source. Rather than having sales run through the catalog, companies placed in the catalog have their website addresses printed alongside the product and description.

Coeur dAlene, ID -- The Marketing Dept. Inc. has launched a family print catalogs designed specifically to drive customers to a manufacturers website to make a purchase.

If youre a manufacturer that sells a unique product from your website, you face what may seem to be an insurmountable marketing dilemma. Nobody knows to look for you.

Nobody, except The Marketing Dept. The Marketing Dept. searches the Internet for unique products to feature in its innovative approach to catalog marketing: A Search Engine In Print.

"Weve come up with an exciting new idea," said company president David Ziegler. "Using print catalogs, we drive consumers to buy direct from a manufacturers website.

With each catalog placement, The Marketing Dept. prints the manufacturers web address alongside a product description and photo. This allows manufacturers to sell direct to the customer, eliminating middleman costs associated with traditional catalogs.

"Our catalogs benefit the consumer as well as the manufacturer," continued Ziegler. "People love looking at catalogs. They love buying from catalogs -- and they love buying direct from the manufacturer. What we offer a catalog that acts more like a national direct mail campaign."

Consumers who receive Marketing Dept.s catalogs are chosen because of their experience making Internet purchases. They have also expressed interest either through magazine subscriptions or previous purchases of products that are similar to those featured in the catalog.

"If a customer is shopping on the web, search engines dont work well," said Ziegler. "Unless consumers know exactly what to look for, a small manufacturer that has exactly what theyre looking for might never be found. Weve dramatically increased the visibility of the manufacturers product, and come up with a way for these manufacturers to be found."

Currently, The Marketing Dept. offers three catalogs. 'Outlook & Attitudes is a lifestyles catalog offering unique, eclectic and hard-to-find products that fit the lifestyle of the catalog reader. 'FirstLine is a selection of innovative 'business toys for the corporate world. '100 Miles provides customers with destinations, excursions and travel-related products.

"Shopping on the Internet is an incredible growth industry," added Ziegler. "And weve got a great solution for people with unique products to tap into that growth."

The idea came to Ziegler as he was trying to market his own unique product, a first aid kit for pets.

"I began looking for a viable option for smaller businesses like mine with unique products to drive customers to my site that wouldnt eat up all my profits or cause me to charge too much for my product," said Ziegler. "What I wanted just didnt exist."

The first catalogs are scheduled to mail at the beginning of the Christmas Season.

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Contact:
David Ziegler
President
davez@mdicatalogs.com
The Marketing Dept.
606 W. River Ave, Coeur dAlene, ID 83814
www.mdicatalogs.com • 800.837-9279

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Tim Putnam
Public Relations/Copy Manager
The Marketing Department
timp@mdicatalogs.com